According to the statistics compiled by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) , HIV infections are spread through unsafe sexual practices. The data revealed that, among those who have contracted the disease, one third are diagnosed as HIV positive during the first year of infection, revealing that delayed diagnoses is far too common. From October 15 through December 15, 2012,Taiwan CDC will provide free, voluntary and private HIV testing and counseling services, under its I-Check campaign, which is intended to reduce high-risk behavior and the spread of HIV.

The campaign kicked off on Tuesday (October 16) with an afternoon press conference that was attended special guests, including actor George Zhang, openly gay celebrity, Jia Pei-de, and HIV case manager, Lee Xing-juan. Zhang said he is tested for HIV regularly and, together with Jia, stressed the importance of safe sex and HIV screening. Lee, a nurse who has worked in disease control for seven years, warned that AIDS patients on averageare getting younger and emphasized the importance of early detection through HIV testing, which is professional, private, and free.   

The study also indicated that early diagnosis of AIDS would reduce incidences of unsafe sex by 70%. Taiwan CDC’s I-Check campaign is comprised of three main components. First, confident and highly self-aware qualified candidates from the demographic most at risk for HIV infection are encouraged to register at any of the 76 national recruitment offices to become “I-Leaders”. These peer-influencers will be enlisted to promote “I-Check” screening events and activities. Those invited by I-Leaders to undergo HIV tests do not need to provide any form of documentation and may go directly to any of the 428 “I-Check” counseling and inspection centers for free health consultations from a healthcare professional, and receive free and anonymous testing for HIV and syphilis. As an incentive to spread awareness of HIV testing, I-leaders can also accumulate points to earn rewards from Taiwan CDC by directly or indirectly convincing their friends to get tested.

According to the data from Taiwan CDC, 13-16% of spouses or partners of people who are HIV positive are also infected themselves. Therefore, part two of the I-Check campaign addresses this issue by inviting partners of those living with HIV to become “I-Mates” and visit counseling and inspection centers for services with their significant other to decide – together or separately – to get tested anonymously.

And those who cannot go to a counseling and inspection center in person can still get tested for HIV through “I-at Home”, the third part of the “I-Check” campaign. Through “I-at Home”, individuals can send in saliva samples using mouth swabs from prepared home kits for assessment and receive preliminary screening results before going to an actual center for counseling. For more information on getting tested for HIV, visit the “I-Check” website, http://icheck.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922.